Mobile checkstands: Next trend at retail?

FORT MILL, S.C. — According to the latest “Mobile POS Survey” commissioned by Honeywell and conducted by Harris Interactive online in December, consumers are accepting of a mobile checkout offering at retail — 50% of those who have tried mobile checkouts believed it saves time and 43% like the convenience of paperless receipts delivered via e-mail.

Based on the survey, as many as 72% of adults have been offered the opportunity to check out using mobile point-of-sale, where transactions are completed through mobile point-of-sale units using a mobile computer to scan items and then read a customer’s credit card information for payment, with the receipt printed via a mobile printer or sent directly to the consumer’s e-mail address. Additionally, the survey found that nearly 1-in-5 adults (17%) uses credit cards for in-store purchases and would be interested in trying mobile POS.

“Over the past two years, Honeywell Scanning & Mobility has surveyed consumers to get their feedback on the latest trends in retail technology,” stated John Waldron, VP worldwide marketing, Honeywell scanning and mobility. “This year’s survey results [showed] a rising interest in mobile POS, and this is in line with the demand we are seeing in the industry. Honeywell is dedicated to supporting retailers in their implementation of innovative applications — such as mobile POS — by providing advanced scanners and mobile computers that help drive improved productivity and customer service.”

Increased interest in mobile couponing, another trend in the retail space, was uncovered in this year’s survey, in comparison to the results found in a similar survey conducted by Harris Interactive on behalf of Honeywell in December 2009. The number of adults who own a mobile phone and said they are comfortable using their mobile phones to store coupons rather than printing them out increased from 11% in 2009 to 18% in 2010. Similarly, the number of adults who own a mobile phone and said they are interested in receiving coupons from retailers via their mobile phones increased from 8% to 14% in 2010.